Escapees May June 2015 Demo

Staff

Escapees Website Enters a New Era By Travis Carr, Escapees Board Member

Technology has changed, and so has the world we live in. N early everyone now owns not only one, but usually more than one device that can connect to the Web wherever we go. Computers, tablets and phones are now a part of our daily lives and are at our fingertips more often than a newspaper or magazine, so this makes the Escapees Website more important than ever. We believe that Escapees offers the best in the industry when it comes to services, benefits, information and edu- cation, but were we bringing all of this information to the online community? The answer is not until now. After taking a critical look at our previous Website, we realized how difficult it was to find specific information. It clearly lacked in areas beyond general club information and membership details, so we took drastic measures and decided to start from scratch. A Complete Resource Center You may ask, what is the goal of the club’s Website? The answer is to provide a complete resource center for the RV community and Escapees members. We wanted to make the Website a “tool” that members would want to visit on a regular basis, rather than only a place where members go to check postage amounts or find the date for an event. So how did we accomplish this goal? We reorganized the content to be more user-friendly and concise and added additional information and tools to help you. It was also important that the Website be viewable on any platform. That dream became a reality. It is completely responsive and will automatically adjust to any size screen, making it easy to access information at any time, and on whatever device you are using. But, the best is yet to come. One of the newest, excit- ing additions is the “Articles & Blogs” center that will be available in the near future. This interactive section will be composed of Escapees magazine articles and featured bloggers and contributors to give you instant access to an abundance of information that fits your lifestyle. You will also have the ability to create your own personal blog to journal your travels or share your experiences with others. While the current “Park Locator” is a great benefit to the member’s tool kit, it doesn’t meet our ultimate expec- tations. Our goal is to bring you not only a discount park

locator, but to also allow members to easily locate boon- docking locations, things to do, commercial members and more. And, you will have the ability to submit your own trusted and cherished locations to share with your Escapees family. While the new tool will still locate points of interest around you, it will also let you search at a destination and along your route while providing turn by turn navigation on how to get there. Another project near completion is an online “Job Board” that will connect those seeking employment with those prepared to hire. What makes this job board different is that it is created for all types of job categories beyond just work-camping, to include part-time, full-time and contract work. So, whether you are looking for a non-intru- sive house-sitter, someone with carpentry skills, technical expertise or someone with nursing skills to assist an elderly parent, the Job Board will provide diversely talented peo- ple in the mobile workforce. Because this is an entirely new site that was built from the ground up, there are some aches and pains involved in launching such a large project. One issue that you may have already noticed is that we could not import accounts from the old Website due to multiple security concerns. All users will need to register a new account with the new Website if you have not already done so. Once your account verification is completed, you will gain access to your membership information and the members-only section of the Website.

Visit www.escapees.com to register.

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www.escapees.com | May/June 2015 | ESCAPEES . 9